Eyes on the Prize
by boredwriting
Summary: Kasumi Goto has the Cerberus operative Jacob Taylor in her sights. Like the other men before him, Jacob is nothing to her but a passing interest. But when the urgency of the suicide mission pushes the two of them together, things begin to get complicated.


**A/N:** If anyone recognizes this story from before then it's because I deleted this and a bunch of other stories a few months ago.

For everyone who reviewed this story, for everyone who was looking for this story, and for everyone who was expecting updates, I apologize.

I was going through a kind of hating-oneself-phase a while back, and while I can't say that it has completely escaped me, I feel much better about my work now. I mean, reading back to my old stuff, it feels like a giant veil of insecurity has been moved away from my eyes. (If that analogy sounds horrible to some of you, I apologize for it too).

Well, regardless of what happens next, I'll try my very, _very_ hardest not to mess with any of my fics again once they're done with and published.

And also, I want to say thank you for everyone who read and will read this. Thank you. :3

* * *

"Kasumi, this is Jacob. Jacob, Kasumi." The Commander said as she lead the master thief in.

Jacob stood confidently, arms crossed and with a strong stance as though he wanted to assert himself as authority. He did this with all of the other recruits, welcomed them and politely reminded them on who was really in charge of the operation and who they were really fighting for. Cerberus. A group that he was almost proud to admit his allegiance to. Almost.

"Good to have you on the team, Kasumi. Cerberus must have a lot of confidence in your abilities if you're in our crew. We don't normally hire outside help for high profile missions like these, but since you're here on the recommendation of the Illusive Man, I can only hope that you'll be a real asset to the team."

The thief turned her head quickly to glance at Jacob. Her eyes gleamed with attentiveness and curiosity under the dark veil that concealed her face, minus a small smirk that formed on her lips.

"It appears that I'm at a disadvantage here, Shep. Mind telling me who this is?"

Shepard rubbed the back of her head in a slight gesture of embarrassment. It wasn't like her to skip the pleasantries. But when they concerned Jacob, it was all too easy.

"Oh. Sorry. This is Jacob Taylor, my second in command. He's also in charge of the ship's armory." Shepard replied back casually as though it was still simply business.

"I see."

Kasumi made herself face Jacob's direction, eying him as though she wanted to break into his skin. Her pupils gleamed brightly under the shadow of her hood, and her irises traced every part of his being with precision. All while the corners of her mouth were still curved slightly upward.

Jacob shifted his standing position a little on his feet, not really knowing how exactly to take this bit of informal behavior. All of the other recruits that came before had either respected his authority or directly opposed it. But this one, was reacting to him differently than the others. She wasn't being outright with him, barely saying two words to him. But what he did notice was that her face (what he could see of it) and her tone of voice had a bit of spark to it that implied that she wasn't the anti-social type. To him, she was being coy. Toying with him and his sense of status.

Jacob didn't notice anything else out of the ordinary with her appearance alone, but there was a vibe to her that he could feel. He didn't know what to interpret it, or her, as. Her enigmatic attitude was beginning to brush off him the wrong way.

"I think it's worth noting that Cerberus has had a hard time tracking down your credentials. There were several high profile heists that went down in the past few years that our sources have tied to the infamous Kasumi Goto, but there was no sufficient evidence has been found that confirms the connection. Even with all of your past stuff in the record, back when you were playing 'Robin Hood', it's hard to find your current record credible, even for us. And honestly, with that in mind, it's a mystery why the Illusive Man picked you out specifically, out of the list of other, more reputable criminals."

There was a brief pause. Shepard and Kasumi turned to each other, partially in disbelief. "Jacob. If they couldn't find a trace of her, then wouldn't that just mean that she's just that damn good at covering her tracks?" Shepard pointed out bluntly.

"I _have_ been getting better since my 'Robin Hood' days." Kasumi casually added.

"I'm not making any assumptions. I'm just pointing out that her credentials are a little rocky." Jacob noted, his eyebrows scrunched up and his sight locked on Kasumi, arms crossed once more. "And we have no psych report on this woman either. Everyone on board this ship, excluding that tank krogan locked up in the cargo bay, has a psych profile that proves that they're mentally suited for the mission."

"Oh come on, Jacob. You're not trying to say that she might be insane now, aren't you? And even if she is, this ship is more than enough to hold a few crazy people on board. I mean, just look at Jack. Her psyche report always puts Kelly on edge. "

"And if you simply want to get to know me better, then all you have to do is ask. I'm right here." Kasumi was beckoning him to try her. She ended her phrase with a slight purr to the words, as though she was trying to add a bit of a seductive twist to earn his favor faster.

Jacob stood there silent for a while. He couldn't think of anything else he could use against her. He disliked people who were dishonest, secretive, mysterious, and most of all, with questionable loyalty. But he knew it was childish to keep probing her with contradictions that were bound to die. He had to keep things more together.

"Alright. Tell me about yourself then. What are your reasons for joining up for this mission?"

"Hmm. Well what can I say? I crave the challenge." She took a few steps forward. "There's something special about going out at night with the possibility that you might never come back, only to successfully come home in the morning with a special trophy in hand." She made her last step just a few feet away from Jacob. "It's what I live for. And why I'm here."

Jacob scoffed at her statement. He thought of it as ridiculous. "That seems selfish of you. You're only here to help us rescue our colonists and stop the Collectors, you don't get time for personal glory."

"Maybe, but I try not to concern myself with the welfare of others. I've stopped doing that a very long time ago. People are no longer my business." Kasumi continued.

"Don't misunderstand me though. I care enough about myself to care about my entire race. But let me tell you this. Nothing good will come out of worrying for these colonists. If we are doing this for all of humanity, than we can't get specific and worry about individuals. They are lost to us already. We'll be right there with them if we follow their footsteps. And so, what we should do is follow them halfway, quickly count the bodies, stop for the Collectors, and call it a day. We'll win our battles and save the galaxy in one fell swoop. And I swear to you, nothing else would be better."

Jacob moved back enough to scan through her with his own eyes and judgment. He tried to keep his face remained apathetic as he did it, but his eyes were already set aflame. He watched her as she kept her devious smile.

"I still fail to see the point of having a thief on this mission. I doubt she could secretly get aboard the Collector ship somehow and quietly _steal_ back our colonists for us. Not that she would want to anyway." Jacob replied explicably to the whole room.

"No she can't, Jacob. But there's a reason why she's able to infiltrate in and out of high security buildings in a snap. Her tech abilities are top notch. You can't question that. Cerberus didn't question that." Shepard responded back in an impatient tone. She was close to being annoyed with Jacob's persistence.

Jacob unfolded his arms. "Maybe so. But we already have a tech specialist on board, that quarian. Several more if you count yourself, the Doctor and Garrus. If you ask me, we already have plenty. And this woman." Jacob relocated his eyes to hers in an instant. "She seems a little mischievous. Let's hope she doesn't pull something out underneath us while we're still standing on it."

A small amused breath of air escaped from her mouth. She shook her head and beckoned him with a question. "Let's say if I do do what you say and 'pull something out underneath'. What are you going to do to me then?"

Jacob took steps closer to her until he was directly in front of her, only inches apart. He only had to tilt his head down a slight amount. He wasn't that much taller than her. But either way, he still delivered an intimidating stance, his heart filled with aggravation.

"If you keep pushing me, you'll get there."

"Enough! We don't have time for this!" Shepard's voice was striking and demanding. The strength in it alone was enough to keep startle almost anyone to keep them in line.

Without hesitation, Jacob and Kasumi both backed away from each other, each taking several steps back.

"Jacob. Get back in the Armory and clean and prime our weapons for the next shore leave. I'll escort Kasumi to her room downstairs."

"And another thing. I'd like it if the two of you would keep your mouth shut for the rest of the day. I've already had enough of you both for a week."

"...Understood Commander."

"Whatever you want, Shep."

Jacob caught another one of Kasumi's eyeful looks as she was escorted out of the room. It was thought she wanted to secretly tell him "We'll settle this some other time". He still had his eyes locked on the door long after it was closed before he finally shook his head and made his way back to his workbench.


End file.
